NewsBeat

12 NewsBeat July 2017 The stories format on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat may seem contradictory to the news media's drive to preserve news, Omar said, due to their ephemeral nature. But, he said, news has always been short-lived. "It's always gone straight away," he said. "My mother used to use newspapers to clean windows." News in a social, mobile format is not about keeping control. The big idea is that the audience is in control of the narrative on these platforms when they get involved with news. "That for me is the sea-change," he said. Omar shared 10 points to build good stories: • Create suspense. • Build engagement. • Be native and niche. • Have personality. • Be consistent. • Engage the thumb. • Create hype. • Storyboard. • Swipe up. • Be creative. On the last point, Omar said creativity is at the heart of social storytelling. "Be creative guys," he said. "I can't emphasise this enough. It is a creative space." The technology baked into the stories format, combined with outside apps, like Apple Clips, can help publishers create better journalism. "This is about using mobile for going beyond cost-cutting, beyond speed, but to do things that quite simply traditional equipment can not achieve," Omar said. Mobile is the way to reach a news media audience in a personal, one-on-one way. This has not been possible before, and the trend toward social is not going anywhere: "We are talking about a future of mobile where everything is hyper, hyper, hyper, local." — Reprinted from inma Continued from previous page Paying too much for Workers' Compensation Insurance? NYPA offers group coverage for workers' comp through the NY State Insurance Fund. Qualified participants are eligible for a 15% advance discount and a 30% year-end dividend. If you're paying too much for workers' compensation insurance, contact Carol at NYPA today for more information. czalewski@nynewspapers.com

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